[The 2005 Vraja Mandala Parikrama ended on November 15th, successfully
and without any obstacles. At the beginning of the parikrama Srila
Narayana Maharaja gave a series of six evening lectures on Srila Visvanatha
Cakravarti Thakuras Prema-samput. After the completion of that
course he spoke on Srila Cakravarti Thakuras Madhurya Kadambini.
In the mornings, throughout the entire Kartika month, he lectured
on Lord Sri Krsnas pastimes as described in the tenth Canto
of Srimad-Bhagavatam. On the last day he culminated that course with
the pastimes of Sri Krsnas Rasa-lila and the Songs of the Gopis
in Separation.

In the photo
gallery are two paintings that the artists were working on throughout
Kartika, created under the guidance of Srila Narayana Maharaja for
the covers of his upcoming Hindi publications of Prema-samput and
Camatkar-candrika. Work on these paintings somewhat slowed up the
work on the Harikatha lectures for the last couple of weeks of Kartika,
and we beg the kind reader to please excuse us for that. Now that
the paintings are completed, we are preparing the series of classes
on Prema-samput to send out to you. In the meantime, kindly read this
lecture given on the glories of Srila Rupa Gosvami at Sri Rupa Sanatana
Gaudiya Matha, during his disappearance day celebrations last August.

[A couple of days after Srila Rupa Gosvami's disappearance day was
the appearance day of Lord Sri Balarama, the first expansion of Lord
Krsna. Both those festivals were observed in Vrndavana, and on the
day after Lord Balarama's festival Srila Narayana Maharaja returned
to Mathura. There, the devotees were preparing for the next big festival,
Sri Janmastami, the appearance day of Lord Krsna Himself. On the first
day of his classes in Mathura, Srila Maharaja called on disciples
to continue the glorification of Srila Rupa Gosvami. After the devotees
spoke, Srila Maharaja personally spoke, and a translation of his Hindi
discourse is below:]

Before Srila Rupa Gosvami, no one explained the glory of the love
of Sri Radha. Before him, vatsalya-rasa (parental love for Sri Krsna)
and other rasas were explained, but not this.

Rupa Gosvami gave Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami his own book, Lalita-Madhava,
to read, and Srila Raghunatha dasa Gosvami wept due to its expressions
of the intense separation moods of Sri Sri Radha-Krsna. Then, in order
to pacify him, he gave him his Dan-keli-kaumidi, a humorous pastime
of Radha and Krsna and the gopis meeting at Govardhana. Srila Raghunatha
dasa Gosvami became happy again, and he wrote Dan-keli-cintamini.

["Dear Acyuta, You know very well why we have come here. Who
but a cheater like You would abandon young women who come to see Him
in the middle of the night, enchanted by the loud song of His flute?
Just to see You, we have completely rejected our husbands, children,
ancestors, brothers and other relatives." (Srimad-Bhagavatam
10.31.16)]

["The loving affairs of Sri Radha and Krsna are transcendental
manifestations of the Lord's internal pleasure-giving potency. Although
Radha and Krsna are one in Their identity, They separated Themselves
eternally. Now these two transcendental identities have again united,
in the form of Sri Krsna Caitanya. I bow down to Him, who has manifested
Himself with the sentiment and complexion of Srimati Radharani although
He is Krsna Himself." (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila 1.5)]

Who taught us this? Srila Rupa Gosvami. And moreover, he himself wrote
and explained:

["May that Lord who is known as the son of Srimati Sacidevi be
transcendentally situated in the innermost chambers of your heart.
Resplendent with the radiance of molten gold, He has appeared in the
Age of Kali by His causeless mercy to bestow what no incarnation ever
offered before: the most sublime and radiant spiritual knowledge of
the mellow taste of His service." (Caitanya-caritamrta Adi-lila
1.4)]

["A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's
demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and
genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world."
(Upadesamrta, verse 1)]

Don't blaspheme anyone. Gurudeva will correct everyone in connection
with him. If you do parikrama of Giriraja Govardhana, Govardhana won't
correct you. If you do devotional service under the guidance of Guru,
he will correct.

["There are six principles favorable to the execution of pure
devotional service: (1) being enthusiastic, (2) endeavoring with confidence,
(3) being patient, (4) acting according to regulative principles [such
as sravanam kirtanam visnoh smaranam [SB 7.5.23]-hearing, chanting
and remembering Krsna], (5) abandoning the association of nondevotees,
and (6) following in the footsteps of the previous acaryas. These
six principles undoubtedly assure the complete success of pure devotional
service." (Upadesamrta, verse 3)]

You have no time to blaspheme.

In the fifth verse Srila Rupa Gosvami teaches how to respect a kanistha
(third-class or neophyte devotee), madhyama (second-class or intermediate
devotee) and uttamam-adhikari (first-class or self-realized devotee)
respectively. Don't give the same respect to the uttama as to the
kanistha, and don't give the same respect to the kanistha as to the
uttama.

What is the meaning of Matha? It is the place were students live,
in order to learn about Krsna's service, and nothing else. Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura established the Gaudiya mathas. As Srila Rupa Gosvami
established the mano-bhistam of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, Srila Bhaktisiddhanta
Sarasvati Thakura established the mano-bhistam (the innermost hearts
desire) of Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura,

If one wants to understand Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu, he must follow
Sri Upadesamrta:

["A sober person who can tolerate the urge to speak, the mind's
demands, the actions of anger and the urges of the tongue, belly and
genitals is qualified to make disciples all over the world."
(Upadesamrta, verse 1)]

["For what type of pleasure do I maintain my life?" Narottama
dasa laments, "If I do not perform bhajana of Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu,
why do I not simply die?" (Aksepa, verse 5)]

Everyday we should look in our own hearts, to see how much we are
following Srila Rupa Gosvami. We should think, "If I am not following
Srila Rupa Gosvami then I should die. There is no purpose to my life."

About Purebhakti

We publish in written and audio form the transcendental sound vibrations that have eminated from self realized Spiritual Masters in the line of Sri Krsna and in recent times, His manifestation as Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu (1482 AD).